Churches are Autonomous – Pastors are Not

The Bible NEVER says that we Independent Fundamental Baptist pastors are autonomous. We are INDEPENDENT of each other, but one hundred percent dependent on Jesus Christ and need to be doing what he says, not whatever we want to do, because we live in a carnal, “I can do whatever I want because I am independent and answer to no one” mentality. Terrible things have happened in IFB churches, and WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, if we keep the attitude that we should never point out error in another church. If men like those who have recently fallen were called out by other pastors YEARS ago, it is unlikely that the recent damage would even have happened. Instead, we have sat by and let these cocooned “pastocrazies” build to cult-like status, and then wonder why the mainstream media starts saying such terrible, but irrefutable things about the Independent Baptist “movement.” It is NEVER scriptural to ignore and keep silent about evil or foolishness in our midst! I openly challenge anyone to show me where the scriptures say it is! Show me one scripture that says that the pastor of another church cannot point out, publicly, the error of a pastor in another church who is affecting so many! Don’t wrest the scriptures! Hiding behind the fact that it was apostles that pointed out error in preachers in the early days of the church and that they no longer exist is FOOLISHNESS! There is nothing, anywhere, in the scriptures that say we are to ignore bad teaching and dangerous practices in another church. Rather, remember that BOTH Paul and Peter were apostles, yet Paul rebuked Peter publicly for his error. (Gal. 2:11 – 14 ). I am deeply saddened by the failings of pastors who were clearly walking in error for many years, yet the IFB “police” kept silent out of fear of ostracism. Much damage could have been avoided in MANY places if pastors like us would listen to the message of those who would warn us, rather than shooting the messengers. What I have observed is NOT that IFB churches tend to shoot the wounded – far from it. Instead, we tend to shoot the messenger who tells us what we do not want to hear.

Written by Pastor Dave Cottrell of Sunshine Community Baptist Church, British Columbia. http://www.scbchurch.ca – Edited and quoted here by permission.